


Just a Minor Bump on the Road

by DreamHighNCT



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Getting Together, Light Angst, M/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:35:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28749342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamHighNCT/pseuds/DreamHighNCT
Summary: Renjun has a huge crush on soccer player Lee Jeno. The only problem is he can't talk to the boy without embarrassing himself. It took one particularly messy bumping incident that gives him the push to try and talk to Jeno. Of course, being Huang Renjun, he chickened out the last minute and bumped into someone else.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 114





	Just a Minor Bump on the Road

**Author's Note:**

> This has been on my drafts since last year, so here goes nothing.

The afternoon air blew and hit Renjun’s face — turning it redder and redder although it is already red, to begin with. Renjun blamed the cold autumn air for his current predicament. Besides, sitting on one of the top row bleachers that overlook a soccer field wasn’t exactly the best place to be in when you want to stay warm. But Renjun would rather stay in his safe zone and freeze to death than risk the possibility of dying from embarrassment. 

No thanks. Renjun had more dignity than that. He was perfectly content with a humongous hardbound book covering a third of his face where he could hide from the men below and where he could imagine himself being swallowed by the ground like he wished it would. Then maybe, he’d save himself from the embarrassment that he was in the school's cafeteria earlier at lunchtime. 

It was one of those moments that he wished he could erase in his memory. He vowed he wouldn’t be watching the soccer team practice that day like he normally does because he was just too embarrassed to show his face to the very person he had been avoiding since the cursed cafeteria incident. If it wasn’t for his dear friend Donghyuck — who, by the way, Renjun seriously considered to unfriend — dragging his ass into the field, he wouldn’t have been there at all!

Curse Lee Donghyuck and his need to ogle at the soccer team’s captain! Anyone would say that Donghyuck is creepy for always insisting he would watch the soccer team practice for a certain Mark Lee if it wasn’t for the fact that the said team captain is his boyfriend! 

_And curse Mark Lee too! He and Donghyuck are a package deal, anyway_. Renjun found himself thinking while subconsciously glaring at the poor oblivious Korean-Canadian who was currently giving instructions to his team huddled around him. 

Without meaning to, Renjun’s eyes drifted to the boy that was standing beside Mark. His face contorted into deep concentration as he listened to his team captain. His forehead would crease ever so slightly and his brows would furrow in response to something Mark had said, trying to absorb all of his captain’s orders. And his eyes — oh his eyes — Renjun felt as if there was so much mystery hiding in those endless pools of deep black that could stare down Renjun’s soul. It’s hard to believe that those very same eyes would pull into crescent moons whenever Renjun would see him with his friends when he passes by them in the hallway.

Before his thoughts could lead him elsewhere, Renjun caught himself. Tearing his eyes away from the black-haired beauty, he shook his head lightly as if he could physically shake his unwanted thoughts away and readjusted his book so that it could cover his face more. 

He had almost forgotten that the boy that had occupied his thoughts just now was the same boy who was the source of his distress — the one he wished he could avoid after what happened at lunch.

Renjun let out a deep sigh. He was screwed, alright. 

“If you sigh one more time, I swear to God! I’m gonna drag you by the neck to that soccer field so that you could stop staring at him from afar!” 

Renjun rolled his eyes before glaring at his best friend, Lee Donghyuck, who was sitting beside him. Of course, Donghyuck would not lose to him in a glaring competition — or any competition at all. Sometimes, Renjun wondered why this guy was his best friend. But then again, Donghyuck is too stubborn to shake off once he had grown on you. Mark Lee tried for years but ended up dating him. Donghyuck is a very unstoppable force.

“Well maybe, if you didn’t force me here with you, I would be warm in my bed right now — free to wallow in my sadness and despair in peace,” Renjun replied, still glaring at his soon-to-be-ex best friend. 

It was Donghyuck’s turn to roll his eyes. 

“Oh, stop being dramatic, Junnie!” Donghyuck exclaimed in frustration. “So you accidentally dumbed your spaghetti on him. Big deal! He has an extra shirt in his gym locker like the other athletes. It’s not like he’d sue you for ruining his shirt,” he pointed out.

Renjun shut his eyes tightly and answered, “Don’t remind me of that cursed incident! I would go to jail if he asks me to!” 

Donghyuck burst out in laughter which made Renjun open his eyes and threw another glare in his friend’s direction.

“You, boy, are so whipped,” Donghyuck snickered, hardly controlling the amusement in his voice.

“Nu-uh!” Renjun shook his head in denial. “That’s you and Mark-Hyung!”

“Oh, please!” Donghyuck scoffed, staring at Renjun with judging eyes. “You would willingly go to jail if he asks you to?” he mocked.

“I ruined his white Calvin Klein shirt!” Renjun insisted, raising his voice a little in exasperation.

“Which wasn’t his by the way,” Donghyuck pointed out. “It was Mark’s. I know because I was with him when he bought it. Jeno was over at Mark’s place last weekend so Mark lent him the shirt. So, if someone is sending you to jail, it would be Mark,” he added, smirking at his friend in triumph.

Renjun paused for a moment, seemingly in deep thought, before shrugging. “Eh, that shirt was ugly, anyway,” he commented nonchalantly.

Donghyuck gasped in mock hurt. “How dare you!” he exclaimed.

“It’s true,” Renjun said in a matter-of-fact tone as he ignored his butthurt best friend who is also the boyfriend of the owner of the shirt in discussion. “Jeno only made it look like it could be worn on a runway. But that’s just because he’s Jeno,” he added, in a cool nonchalant fashion (at least, according to him). What? He got eyes.

“You’re just whipped for Jeno and that’s a fact you don’t like to admit,” Donghyuck retorted smugly.

Renjun, eyes now focused on the words in the book he was holding, replied, “For the hundredth time — that’s you and Mark-Hyung.”

“Why do I hear my name involved in something I don’t know again?”

The two friends whipped their heads to the source of the voice. In their bickering state, they had failed to notice that Mark had climbed up the rows towards where Renjun and Donghyuck were seated. 

“Am I getting in trouble because of something Donghyuck has done again?” Mark joked, taking a seat beside his boyfriend who looked like he had just experienced the greatest Anime betrayal of all time.

Renjun cackled, closed the book he was holding, and placed it on his lap. He turned his body towards the two, sensing an entertaining war brewing.

“How dare you!” Donghyuck exclaimed dramatically, hitting poor Mark Lee’s arm. “And here I was defending your stupid ass shirt!” he added, punctuating each word with a smack on Mark’s arm.

“Ow ow ow!” Mark yelled, trying to defend himself although Renjun knew that Mark could take down Donghyuck if he tried. Mark just wanted to make Donghyuck believe the latter could beat him up. “Seriously, Hyuck, stop it! I was just kidding!” he added, but they can all hear the amusement in the older boy’s tone.

Donghyuck huffed as he finally stopped hitting his boyfriend. He then crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned away from Mark who was sporting a big teasing grin. Donghyuck’s features were not punctuated with a pout that looked ugly in Renjun’s opinion… but adorable in Mark’s eyes, apparently.

“Come on, babe,” Mark said as he tried to pacify his boyfriend. “You know I was only joking,” he added as he reached to wrap his arm around Donghyuck.

Renjun counted to three before watching Donghyuck’s resolve crumble as the latter melted into his boyfriend’s embrace. As expected — Donghyuck is weak when it comes to Mark.

“Whipped,” Renjun smirked, raising one of his brows at the two.

“That’s you to Jeno,” Donghyuck retorted, throwing Renjun’s comments back at him.

Mark laughed as he broke the hug to which Donghyuck pouted a little. “You made quite a scene at the cafeteria this morning,” he said to Renjun who groaned and pulled his book back up to cover his face.

Donghyuck snickered before saying, “And you didn’t even apologize. You just bolted away like lightning. Jeno must’ve thought you have no manners.” He had a glint of evil in his eyes. 

_Damn Donghyuck._ Renjun cursed internally. He really knew what buttons to press to rile Renjun up.

“Give him a break, Hyuck,” Mark said, taking pity on Renjun.

_Ah, Mark, ever the peacemaker._

“You know he can’t talk to him without stuttering. He can’t even look at him without turning red to the roots of his hair,” Mark added, making Donghyuck choke in laughter. 

Renjun glared at the two. 

_Nevermind. Donghyuck’s evilness had rubbed off on Mark. We have lost Mark Lee!_

“You two can choke while I look for new friends,” Renjun said with indignity as he gathered his things, preparing to walk away from his annoying friends.

“Just kidding, Jun,” Mark said, trying to suppress his giggles. “You need to loosen up around him,” he added, trying to sound more serious this time. “You also owe him an apology for this morning. You messed up his shirt.”

“I thought it was your shirt?” Renjun replied, quirking his brow up.

“Doesn’t matter,” Mark sighed. He should’ve known Renjun would be this difficult. “He was the one wearing the shirt. You threw your lunch on _him_.”

“It was an accident!” Renjun yelled in defense, standing up. But he may have spoken a bit too loud because the boys playing soccer below them stopped to look at him. 

Renjun felt heat creeping up his cheeks again and he sank back to his seat, grabbing his book to hide his face. 

_Stupid wind. Making my face red._

He heard Donghyuck practically dying from laughter beside him. He resisted the urge to smack his friend squarely at the back of his head. Violence is never the answer, but Renjun can make an exemption for Donghyuck.

“Why don’t you go down there and apologize to him?” Mark suggested as his teammates below resumed playing. “I’m sure he’s not mad at you, but maybe you can finally talk to him.”

But Renjun was already shaking his head at the absurdity of Mark’s suggestion. “No thanks,” he vehemently declined, “I don’t have a death wish.”

“Come on, he’s not that bad,” Mark encouraged. “The boy could barely hurt a fly.”

“Stop being a scaredy-cat, Jun,” Donghyuck interrupted, looking at Renjun smugly. “It’s not like he would bite you,” he added before smirking devilishly, “at least not yet.”

“Who said I was s-scared?” Renjun replied, trying — and failing — to sound like he wasn’t scared. 

“The fact that you just stuttered while saying that says a lot,” Donghyuck snorted.

“I’m not!” Renjun insisted, feeling his temper rising again. “I just… I just don’t think there’s something we can talk about,” he mumbled, failing to sound convincing at all.

“And now there’s something you can talk about,” Donghyuck insisted. “So why don’t you get your ass up and apologize to him. Unless you’re scared,” he smirked at Renjun.

“I said I’m not!” Renjun said stubbornly, pouting a little. But the way his hands shook a little while holding his book closer gave away what he truly felt. The prospect of approaching Jeno made his stomach churn and he thought he might throw up.

“You’re not scared alright,” Donghyuck commented sarcastically. 

Mark sighed. He was dealing with two of the most stubborn boys he knew and he needed to take matters into his own hands as the only reasonable person in this trio.

“I’m graduating in a few months,” Mark started, gaining Renjun’s attention. “Next year, you won’t have an excuse to watch the soccer team’s games or practices. You won’t be able to see him that much and it will be your last year in high school. Who knows if you’d see each other again after that?”

“Who said I watched the games and practices because of him?” Renjun replied stubbornly which made Donghyuck scoff. Mark resisted the urge to pull his hair out. Renjun is just so frustrating!

“Oh come on!” Mark whined in frustration, trying to reason with his stubborn Chinese friend. “You’ve been watching since he got into the team in his freshman year. You don’t even know anything about soccer! And you wouldn’t have let Hyuck drag you to every one of my games, but you let him ever since Jeno joined the team. You didn’t even watch me compete in track and field during sports week,” he said accusingly. “You go to these games because Jeno is playing, not because you want to support me. Just admit it!”

By the end of Mark’s little speech, Renjun had stared at him with his mouth hanging open while Donghyuck looked so proud of his boyfriend. 

“Face it!” Mark continued, feeling satisfied with himself, “You’ve always had your eyes on Lee Jeno.”

“I — “ Renjun tried to conjure some words, but he just couldn’t produce any having been stunned by Mark’s mini outburst.

“This may be your only chance, Jun,” Dongyuck interjected. “Talk to him,” he added, looking at Renjun squarely in the eyes.

And Renjun knew he just lost. So with heavy feet, he descended the stairs and headed towards the group of boys who were now taking their water break. Halfway down, he looked back at his two friends who gave him encouraging smiles and thumbs up. He took a deep breath and resumed his walk to eternal doom.

“How many words do you think he’d be able to get in before he dashes away this time?” Donghyuck said to Mark while still following Renjun with his eyes.

“I bet he won’t even get to say hi,” Mark replied, also still looking at Renjun.

“RIP my friend,” Donghyuck said, silently sending good luck to Renjun.

Meanwhile, Renjun’s breath seemed to get heavier the closer he got to the bottom of the stairs. He focused on controlling his breath. He can do this! He is Huang Renjun, after all! He’s afraid of no one! 

_He got this!_

He reached the bottom of the stairs and found himself entering the edge of the field when Jeno suddenly looked up from where he was seated and looked in Renjun’s direction. Renjun then found his pep talk useless as he felt the familiar churning of his stomach starting to make itself known again. He stopped in his tracks at the same time Jeno stood up. Jeno seemed to be making his way to him!

_No, he hasn't got this!_

Renjun found himself frozen in his spot. There was a warning voice in his head screaming danger in bright red lights. He suddenly can’t feel anything except the heavy weight in his chest. He can’t see anything except Jeno who was already halfway to where he was. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and Renjun couldn’t control anything.

He didn’t realize he had unconsciously taken a few steps back if it wasn’t for a yelp that followed right after. He felt his back collide with a solid surface and something fell to the ground. Renjun tried to turn around but he felt himself trip which made him fall butt-first — hard. That was when he realized that he had just bumped into someone who was behind him.

Looking up, he saw that someone hunched over to pick something he had dropped to the ground.

“I am so sorry!” Renjun quickly apologized as he sat up and reached for the thing the other person dropped. But the owner’s hand got there first so Renjun had grabbed the other’s hand by accident instead. This caused the other person — a pink-haired boy who was about his age — to glance at him before Renjun quickly pulled his hand back as if he was burnt.

“No worries,” the person replied as he inspected the thing — which was a very expensive camera — for any damages. “There seems to be no harm done,” he added, finally looking up to meet Renjun’s apologetic eyes. The person smiled warmly at him and offered his hand to help Renjun up. 

Renjun suddenly felt his breath hitched. But before he could grab the stranger’s hand, he heard a voice called out to them.

“Hey, are you alright?” 

Renjun looked up and he felt his breath being taken away from him again. Lee Jeno had jogged the remaining distance between them. Stopping beside where Renjun was, Jeno had then supported him up at the same time the pink-haired boy grabbed his hand to help him up. 

“Are you alright?” the other boy repeated when Renjun didn’t answer. How could he when he was sure he had lost the ability to speak?

“I think you broke him, Nana,” Jeno chuckled, not helping with Renjun’s situation. That was the first time he had seen Jeno’s face that close and the latter was smiling! Renjun could die right there and he would die happy!

“Hey!” the other boy — Nana — said while waving his hand in front of Renjun’s face, effectively grabbing the smaller boy’s attention. “Do you need me to walk you to the clinic?” he asked, genuine concern lacing his voice. He was sporting a small pout that Renjun thought was endearing. Yet, he felt the urge to wipe that pout from the other boy’s face.

That seemed to do the trick as Renjun composed himself before saying, “It’s alright. No harm done.” He then glanced at the camera the pink-haired guy was holding and winced when he saw a scratch on one of the edges. “I can’t say the same to your camera, though.”

Nana smiled and waved his hand dismissively. “It’s just a scratch. Nothing serious,” he replied, smiling kindly at Renjun. And Renjun didn’t know why but he suddenly felt a warmth deep in his chest.

“I’m Jaemin, by the way,” Nana — no, _Jaemin_ — introduced himself as he extended his hand for Renjun to shake.

“Renjun,” Renjun replied, grabbing Jaemin’s hand for a quick handshake.

“And I’m Jeno,” Jeno interrupted from behind Renjun. 

For a moment, Renjun forgot that Jeno was also here. He turned around and saw Jeno smiling with his eyes. And for the first time, it’s directed at him. 

Renjun must be dreaming. There is no other possible explanation of the fact that Lee Jeno was smiling at him.

“Please excuse Nana,” Jeno continued, still smiling brightly with his eyes. “He doesn’t look at where he is going when he’s taking pictures,” he explained.

“Nana?” Renjun asked, forehead creasing slightly in confusion. 

  
“My nickname,” Jaemin provided, smiling equally as bright as Jeno. “My surname is Na, so Jeno called me Nana when we were children. I guess it kinda stuck and now all my friends call me Nana.”

“Oh,” Renjun replied, mainly for the lack of words to say.

“Junnie!” 

The three boys turned to Donghyuck who was running down the stairs with Mark behind him. 

“Are you alright?” Donghyuck asked worriedly as he stopped beside Renjun.

“I’m fine, Hyuck,” Renjun replied, smiling slightly to assure his friend. 

“Hey, you’re the boy from lunch earlier!” Jaemin said to Renjun, eyes lighting up in recognition and something akin to fondness.

Renjun felt like a cold bucket of water was thrown at him as he was reminded of why he wanted to approach Jeno in the first place.

“Oh yeah, about that…'' Renjun started to say, looking desperately everywhere except at Jeno’s general direction. Yet, he can feel the other boy’s stare burning holes at the side of his face. Instead, he caught Jaemin’s eyes who was looking at him with a hint of amusement in his expression before the pink-haired redirected his gaze at Jeno. Renjun also broke the eye contact to give Donghyuck a look that screamed help. But if he didn’t, he would’ve seen the look on both Jeno and Jaemin’s faces who seemed to be communicating with their eyes — sharing some sort of an inside joke that only the two of them understood.

But Donghyuck did, and so did Mark.

Baffled by the exchange, Donghyuck cleared his throat in an attempt to break the awkward atmosphere. 

“I’m Donghyuck, by the way,” he said, offering his hand to Jaemin who gladly shook it with a smile as he also introduced himself.

“This is Mark, our team captain, and Donghyuck’s his boyfriend,” Jeno added, gesturing at Mark who waved at Jaemin.

“Jaemin’s my childhood friend,” Jeno said. “His family relocated to Busan 10 years ago but they would stay in Seoul every summer until his father got reassigned to Seoul earlier this month. Jaemin’s here to transfer school late in the school year,” he explained.

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Jaemin said, sporting the wide grin that seems to be his signature. 

“Welcome to Neotech High, Jaemin! I hope to see you around more often,” Mark responded. “Do you play soccer? The drafting of players is usually done at the start of the school year. But since many players are graduating this year, we have started recruiting for next year. Maybe you can join.” he offered.

Jaemin smiled kindly at Mark but wave his hand to deny the offer. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m not really that good in soccer,” he replied. “I’m more into photography,” he added, gesturing to the camera he’s holding. “I was vice president of the Photography club in my previous school.”

“Jaemin takes really good pictures,” Jeno provided, displaying his natural eye smile. “I only let my pictures taken by him,” he added, smiling softly at Jaemin who grinned back.

Donghyuck and Mark threw each other a side glance at the two boys’ exchange. There was something between the two that Mark and Donghyuck couldn’t quite pinpoint. 

Renjun, on the other hand, was too busy looking at the ground to notice anything. That was until Jeno himself called his attention that forced him to look up at the said boy.

“You suddenly left earlier at lunch. I was gonna buy you another food since you know… you spilled your lunch when I bumped into you,” Jeno said sheepishly at Renjun. “Sorry about that, by the way,” he added, smiling softly.

Meanwhile, Renjun was stunned! As far as he is concerned, it was his fault that Jeno had spaghetti all over his shirt! He bumped into Jeno, not the other way around. Why, then, was Jeno apologizing to him?

“O-oh,” Renjun winced internally, mentally cursing himself for stuttering yet again. Gathering the small amount of pride he had left, he took a deep breath and said, “It was my fault. I bumped into you and ruined your shirt. I didn’t even apologize. So, I’m sorry.”

 _That wasn’t so bad, was it Huang Renjun?_ Renjun mentally praised himself for not stuttering in his apology. 

“No, it was my fault!” Jeno insisted. “I wasn’t looking at where I was going because I was looking for Jaemin that time,” he added. “Did you even get to eat your lunch?” he asked worriedly.

Come to think of it, Renjun didn’t. He dashed out of the cafeteria and camped in the library where he could drown his thoughts with a blast of music through his earphones. He didn’t eat until… well until now. And as if to prove his point, his stomach decided to help him remember that he was hungry.

An embarrassingly loud sound coming from Renjun’s stomach broke the tiny bit of awkwardness surrounding the group, startling Jeno and almost making Donghyuck laugh out loud if he hadn’t caught himself on time. 

“I guess that answers the question,” Jaemin said with a kind yet amused smile. Renjun just wanted to disappear into thin air. 

“Your dinner’s on me,” Jeno quickly offered, feeling guilty that Renjun wasn’t able to eat earlier. 

Renjun shook his head vehemently. “That’s not necessary,” he said, ready to decline the offer. “I could eat at home.”

“No, I insist,” Jeno replied firmly, grabbing Renjun’s wrist in the process, startling the poor Chinese who’s heart was about to burst. “It’s the least I could do.” He then turned to the others and added, “In fact, maybe we can all eat dinner together?”

“Does that include me?” Jaemin joked lightheartedly, pointing to his chest for dramatic emphasis which made Jeno roll his eyes.

“Yes, but you pay for your own meal,” Jeno retorted playfully as he released his hold on Renjun’s wrist.

Jaemin let out a fake gasp, seemingly offended by Jeno’s blatant refusal to treat him for dinner. “After all we’ve been through?” he dramatically exclaimed.

Jeno laughed and turned to the others. “As you can see, he’s dramatic. But you’d get used to it,” he explained.

“Don’t worry. I have enough practice with Donghyuck,” Mark replied which earned him a jab on his side and a glare from his boyfriend. 

“Please! I think I couldn’t handle another Donghyuck!” Renjun suddenly exclaimed. The look of betrayal that crossed Donghyuck’s features was so satisfying.

“Glad to know you really care about me,” the sarcasm on Donghyuck’s voice was thick which made everyone laugh.

“Anyway,” Mark said as he wrapped an arm around Donghyuck. “We can’t go. We have a date,” he added, catching Renjun’s attention.

“You were gonna leave me to go home by myself?” Renjun felt betrayed. He threw his friends accusing looks. Donghyuck looked suspiciously smug while Mark had the decency to look sheepish.

“But now you won’t be alone,” Donghyuck countered, throwing a smirk at Renjun. There it was again — the familiar glint in Donghyuck’s eyes, the one that tells Renjun that the other was up to no good. So Renjun threw his own warning glare that didn’t do much to sway the other boy at all.

“So, Renjun?” Jeno was looking at Renjun expectantly which pulled the latter off his thoughts. 

Renjun was about to make up some lame excuse when Donghyuck beat him to it.

“He’s free tonight. He doesn’t have a schedule. Fridays are usually his ‘me-time’ or basically his ‘lay-the-bed-and-do-nothing-all-night time’. You’re free to take him wherever you want but return him before 10,” Donghyuck said without pause and shoved a flustered Renjun lightly towards Jeno who caught the small boy by his arms.

“Great!” It was Jaemin’s enthusiastic voice that grabbed everyone’s attention. “We’ll return him in one piece,” he joked. He smiled at them, and Renjun swore Jaemin’s bright smile blinded him. Jaemin was charming, Renjun had to admit. And it seemed like the others felt that charm too. 

“On second thought,” Donghyuck said, “You can keep him as long as you want. We’ll just find another short and feisty friend.”

“Excuse me?” Renjun said indignantly, ready to burst at his annoying friend.

“Shhh… you don’t have a say in this,” Donghyuck had the audacity to say.

Renjun’s jaw dropped. Why is there a Lee Donghyuck?

“We’re not holding you hostage,” Jeno interjected, smiling sweetly at Renjun. It was then that Renjun realized that Jeno was still holding him by his arms. So he awkwardly pulled away.

“What do you mean? I could use that ransom money,” Jaemin teased. He then leaned closer to Renjun so that his face was directly in front of the other. “But I don’t think I wanna return this hostage,” he added, staring straight into Renjun’s eyes. 

Renjun couldn’t count how many times his face turned red that day, but he could add this one to the list.

“And did I mention he’s such a flirt?” Jeno chuckled as he watched a flustered Renjun took a step back on reflex while Jaemin smirked triumphantly.

“Hyuck’s got competition,” Mark commented.

“Hey!” Donghyuck exclaimed.

“So it’s settled then,” Jeno said, going back to the topic. He faced Renjun and Jaemin. “You two wait for me. I’ll take a shower quickly and we’ll get going,” he instructed before jogging off to the locker room.

“We’ll get going too,” Mark announced, dragging a smug Donghyuck away from Renjun who just stared helplessly after them. Donghyuck still had the energy to mouth “You’re welcome,” at him. If Jaemin wasn’t there, he would’ve thrown a shoe at his friend.

Then Renjun was left with Jaemin. The awkwardness he felt earlier came creeping back.

“Shall we go sit?” Jaemin offered, smiling brightly at Renjun.

“I’ll uh —,” Renjun stuttered. “I’ll just go grab my things,” he added.

“Okay,” Jaemin replied as Renjun started to head to where he was previously sitting with Donghyuck.

He was about to climb the rows when he heard Jaemin yelled, “Try not to bump into another person on your way up!”

And Renjun felt the cold wind blew against his face again. 

_Stupid wind. Making my face red._

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! It's been a while since I last wrote something, but here it is.
> 
> I actually don't have anything planned for this, but we'll see how it goes. A kudos and a comment would be greatly appreciated!


End file.
